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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: pitch · cold · field · bulb · scale · rock · saw · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. field — farmland
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cold — not warm

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