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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: kid · prune · fan · stand · pitch · temple · row · season

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — a line
  4. kid — to tease
  5. season — in sport
  6. kid — child
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitch — completely
  11. row — to paddle
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — of the year
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fan — to cool the air

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