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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: pit · mine · prune · wake · tube · net · bore · cabinet

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — to drill
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. tube — a container
  7. net — after costs
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wake — a trail
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. net — for catching
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bore — to tire
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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