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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 · prune · rush · rash · row · lean · mine · kick

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — for catching
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rush — hurry
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. row — a line
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — in sport
  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