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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · prune · land · pit · bulb · foot · rash · clip

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — to cut
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rash — a series
  18. land — to come down
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. land — ground
  24. pit — in a race

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