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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 · mark · net · pitch · wound · trunk · bore · object

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mark — a grade
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — a thing
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. object — to protest
  23. mark — a trace
  24. object — an aim

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