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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 116 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: wind · bear · net · prune · cue · ground · racket · calf

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cue — for pool
  4. net — in sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ground — a position
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — moving air
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. net — for catching

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