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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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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: fine · hide · pitch · game · branch · prune

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — high quality
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals

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