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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 120 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 · rush · nail · bulb · prune · pitch · mate · cold

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cold — an illness
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. nail — on a finger
  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