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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: field · hide · cell · pitcher · roll · pit · prune · lean

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lean — to bend
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. roll — a list
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — farmland
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. field — for sport
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lean — thin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. field — a subject
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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