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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 124 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 · tube · leaves · bank · swing · net · field · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. field — farmland
  5. tube — the underground
  6. swing — in golf
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — a subject
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. prune — to trim
  13. sharp — clever
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. net — after costs
  16. tube — a container
  17. bank — for money
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. net — for catching
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. field — for sport

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