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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: content · object · prune · net · pitcher · mate · deal · lean

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a friend
  3. net — in sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. object — an aim
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lean — to bend
  12. object — to protest
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. net — after costs
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — to handle
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — a partner
  21. object — a thing
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lean — thin
  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