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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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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: prune · lean · deal · pitch · content · perch · rest · hand

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. lean — thin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — in cards
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — completely
  15. content — happy
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — the fish
  20. hand — help
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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