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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 · current · bound · trunk · date · net · club · present

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. current — of water
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. present — there
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. current — electric
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. club — for dancing
  11. net — for catching
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. club — for golf
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — a group
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. current — happening now
  22. date — the fruit
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

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