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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 · straw · rush · tube · cabinet · spell · prune · mark

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spell — a short time
  4. prune — to trim
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tube — a container
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. net — for catching
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — magic
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — letters
  21. net — after costs
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rush — to hurry

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