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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bank — for money
  3. cap — a hat
  4. object — a thing
  5. current — of water
  6. wind — moving air
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. object — to protest
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bank — of a river
  17. object — an aim
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bank — for money
  20. current — electric
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitch — completely
  24. current — happening now

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