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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: rash · tube · firm · cap · prune · fan · pit · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. firm — steady
  8. prune — to trim
  9. firm — decided
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. firm — a company
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rash — a series
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rash — hasty
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. tube — in a tire

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