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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · squash · tube · bulb · cap · prune · stem · kick

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. kick — in football
  3. tube — a container
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tube — the underground
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cap — a lid
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com