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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 116 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: bat · stand · prune · pitch · pound · lash · spell · staff

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. spell — letters
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. spell — magic
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pitch — completely

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