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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: staff · pitch · march · hand · mouse · jam · prune · current

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — employees
  10. prune — to trim
  11. current — of water
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. current — happening now
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — help
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. staff — employees
  24. current — electric

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