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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: mate · nail · cue · prune · pit · net · tear · plane

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — for pool
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pit — a hole
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — in a race
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cue — a signal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — a friend
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — a tool
  20. net — for catching
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mate — a partner
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. plane — in geometry

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