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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: pop · rush · season · tube · net · bowl · prune · fan

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — soda
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — for catching
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. net — after costs
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — hurry
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. net — in sport
  24. tube — a container

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