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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 116 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: row · spring · net · kick · chip · present · prune · nail

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. net — after costs
  3. row — a line
  4. chip — for betting
  5. net — for catching
  6. spring — of water
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. present — there
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — in sport
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — the time now
  14. chip — to eat
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kick — in football
  23. present — a gift
  24. row — to paddle

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