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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 · spell · net · dip · rash · tear · pop · pit

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — in sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. tear — to rip
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pop — to visit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pop — music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. net — after costs
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — for catching
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — letters
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. dip — to sink

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