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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: pitcher · prune · game · cabinet · bark · pitch · arm · leaves

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — wild animals
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pitch — completely
  13. game — a match
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. arm — part of the body

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