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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: pitch · degree · pitcher · wind · coach · fall · saw · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wind — moving air
  10. degree — an amount
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fall — the season
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. prune — to trim
  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