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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 120 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: bay · pit · tube · rash · prune · land · fall · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rash — a series
  10. land — a country
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fall — the season
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pit — a hole
  17. fall — to drop
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — to come down
  20. tube — a container
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. land — ground
  23. rash — hasty
  24. prune — to trim

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