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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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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: cap · kick · file · wind · fork · prune · mouse · net

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. kick — in football
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — in sport
  5. file — a document
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. net — for catching
  16. cap — a lid
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. cap — a hat
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. prune — the fruit

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