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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: season · prune · pitch · bore · ball · fan · stem · chip

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chip — for betting
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ball — a great time
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — of a plant
  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