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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: pitch · fall · rock · rest · pitcher · prune · wind · rash

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — the season
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rest — a break
  18. rock — music
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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