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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: bear · mate · can · prune · fan · rash · bat · pitcher

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. can — to be able to
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. can — a tin
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — to trim
  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