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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · shower · deal · prune · mark · net · rock · spell

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. net — in sport
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mark — a grade
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. net — after costs
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — rain
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — child
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spell — a short time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spell — magic
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. spell — letters

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