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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 · spring · present · wound · court · rush · prune · pitcher

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — for sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — a coil
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — the season
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. present — the time now
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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