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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 · bank · present · prune · ground · date · pass · object

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. object — a thing
  8. net — for catching
  9. bank — for money
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bank — for money
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — after costs
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bank — of a river
  17. object — an aim
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — in sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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