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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: foot · net · bank · kick · mate · prune · shower · date

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bank — for money
  3. net — in sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bank — of a river
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. net — for catching
  8. mate — to breed
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bank — for money
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. foot — a measure
  19. date — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. net — after costs
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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