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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: chip · degree · prune · pitch · net · staff · band · stand

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. net — in sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stand — to bear
  7. net — for catching
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chip — to eat
  13. degree — an amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. degree — from a university
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. net — after costs
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. degree — temperature

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