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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.

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: foot · spring · trunk · prune · rest · game · ground · pitch

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rest — what's left
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. game — wild animals
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — of water
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spring — the season
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spring — a coil
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — crushed

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