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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: tube · net · chest · rock · field · bank · can · prune

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bank — of a river
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — a subject
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — in sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. field — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bank — for money
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. chest — a box
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. net — for catching
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — a container
  23. net — after costs
  24. can — a tin

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