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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: mouse · sharp · face · pitch · prune · wave · field · march

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. face — to confront
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. face — to point toward
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — clever
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. march — music
  21. pitch — completely
  22. field — farmland
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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