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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 120 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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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 · fork · wind · bowl · mark · bank · net · pit

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bank — of a river
  11. net — for catching
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bank — for money
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wind — moving air

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