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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: file · prune · stock · game · row · pitch · pass · bulb

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. row — to paddle
  6. game — wild animals
  7. file — a document
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. game — a match
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. row — a line
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stock — shares
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pass — a permit
  22. file — a tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. file — a line of people

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