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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · pound · prune · net · tube · cue · content · mine

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — happy
  4. cue — for pool
  5. net — in sport
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. content — the amount
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. net — after costs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — the underground

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