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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: hand · mug · hide · rule · squash · pitch · tear · prune

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — in cards
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a face
  6. pitch — completely
  7. rule — government
  8. prune — to trim
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — a cup
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mug — to rob
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hand — help
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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