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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: pitch · stem · saw · date · prune · deal · pit · file

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. date — the fruit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitch — completely
  14. file — a document
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. file — a line of people
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. saw — the tool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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