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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · pitcher · wound · trunk · rest · straw · prune · date

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. date — the fruit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. net — after costs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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