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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: cue · bay · prune · lean · tear · pitch · trunk · season

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. season — of the year
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cue — for pool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cue — a hint
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cue — a signal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitch — completely
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lean — thin
  20. season — in sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. tear — to rip
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tear — from crying

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