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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: stand · bass · key · wound · kick · pitch · prune · trunk

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. key — in music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — low music
  17. stand — to bear
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. key — for a lock
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stand — on your feet

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