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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: net · dip · pit · patient · chest · prune · rock · bowl

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — in sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chest — of your body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chest — a box
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. net — for catching
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to sink

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