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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · pitch · court · spring · fall · lash · bowl · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spring — of water
  5. fall — the season
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of law
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. spring — the season
  21. court — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. prune — the fruit

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