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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 · mate · rash · trunk · roll · prune · jam · tube

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rash — a series
  7. roll — a list
  8. mate — a partner
  9. roll — a cake
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — in sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — after costs
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tube — a container
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mate — a friend

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