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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 120 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: net · wound · row · prune · cabinet · temple · rush · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — in sport
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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