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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.

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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 · deal · nail · chest · mine · can · tear · prune

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. can — a tin
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. prune — to trim
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. can — a tin
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. can — to be able to
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — a big deal

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