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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: lean · trunk · prune · pitch · mouse · drill · hide · clip

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. drill — the tool
  7. lean — to bend
  8. drill — a practice
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — for paper
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lean — thin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. hide — animal skin

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