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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: bowl · prune · drill · net · safe · object

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. object — to protest
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — a thing
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. object — an aim
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. drill — a practice

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