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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: net · tube · squash · patient · prune · fork · rest · bank

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. tube — the underground
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. net — after costs
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tube — a container
  15. rest — what's left
  16. squash — to crush
  17. net — for catching
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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