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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: lash · net · prune · pitcher · mine · fan · club · key

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — for catching
  11. key — for a lock
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. club — a group
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. net — in sport
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — for digging
  24. club — for dancing

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