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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: leaves · net · content · mine · file · dip · prune · rush

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. file — a tool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. file — a line of people
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. net — after costs
  9. mine — for digging
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. content — happy
  22. file — a document
  23. net — in sport
  24. content — the amount

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