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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 124 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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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: wake · pop · pitcher · craft · foot · prune · mine · net

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. net — in sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. craft — boats
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. net — for catching
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. net — after costs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. foot — the bottom

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