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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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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: bulb · pitch · tear · toast · fine · season · deal · prune

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. season — in sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitch — completely
  12. toast — bread
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tear — to rip
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. season — of the year
  23. bulb — for light
  24. prune — to trim

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