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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: wax · net · stock · nail · trunk · kid · prune · pitch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kid — child
  7. pitch — completely
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stock — shares
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stock — goods

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