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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: plane · net · racket · row · bore · hand · prune · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — for catching
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bore — to tire
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — in cards
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. net — in sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hand — help
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — a line
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. plane — a tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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