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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: prune · pitch · mouse · saw · coach · fine · capital · wound

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. saw — the tool
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. prune — to trim
  7. capital — a city
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. capital — money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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