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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.

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: prune · craft · net · land · mate · chip · race · pitcher

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. net — after costs
  3. race — humankind
  4. net — in sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. land — to come down
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. prune — to trim
  9. land — ground
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. craft — a skill
  13. race — a contest
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — to breed
  16. craft — boats
  17. mate — a friend
  18. land — a country
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — the arms race

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