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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: pass · game · prune · net · spell · mate · band · cabinet

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a match
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spell — letters
  10. band — a ring
  11. net — for catching
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. net — in sport
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. spell — a short time

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