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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: nail · tube · wind · rush · prune · pit · net · coach

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. tube — a container
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. prune — to trim
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wind — moving air
  16. net — after costs
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — hurry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pit — a hole

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