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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.

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: date · prune · net · club · fan · stick · spell · kick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spell — letters
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for golf
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spell — magic
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — for catching
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — in sport
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — in football
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spell — a short time
  24. club — a group

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