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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 120 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: fine · pitch · prune · leaves · scale · squash · drill · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — size or range
  9. row — to paddle
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. drill — army training
  16. fine — high quality
  17. squash — to crush
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. row — a line
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. scale — in music

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