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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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Word bank
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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: prune · cell · kid · pitcher · net · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. file — a tool
  7. kid — child
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. kid — to tease
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. file — a document
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs

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