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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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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 · mate · net · prune · spring · mug · can · court

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — of law
  4. mate — a partner
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — a cup
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mug — a face
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mug — to rob
  16. court — for sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — the season
  19. net — for catching
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — of water
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — child
  24. prune — to trim

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