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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: prune · wound · can · file · net · pit · mouse · pitcher

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. file — a tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — in a race
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. file — a line of people
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. net — for catching
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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