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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: stick · pitch · bound · pitcher · squash · bank · ruler · prune

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — certain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bound — tied together
  9. squash — the sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bound — obliged
  24. ruler — for measuring

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