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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: rush · deal · cue · field · degree · prune · pitch · bear

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. degree — from a university
  18. deal — to handle
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — to trim
  21. field — a subject
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cue — a hint
  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