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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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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: prune · kick · fall · band · pit · racket · net · ruler

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. band — a ring
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pit — in a race
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. kick — in football
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. net — in sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — after costs
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. net — for catching
  24. band — a music 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