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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: prune · net · current · date · bank · hand · last · stick

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. current — electric
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. net — after costs
  7. bank — for money
  8. current — of water
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — in sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. last — to go on
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — final
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — finally
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. current — happening now

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