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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · coach · pound · wake · prune · mouse · rash · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. net — for catching
  12. kick — in football
  13. rash — hasty
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pound — a weight

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