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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 120 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: stick · prune · mate · present · spell · wind · net · fine

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a friend
  4. present — the time now
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fine — all right
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. net — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a partner

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