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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. net — after costs
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — in sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the fish
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bank — for money
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. net — for catching
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — low music
  23. bank — for money
  24. rash — hasty

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