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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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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 · wound · kick · lean · mark · chair · patient · prune

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mark — a trace
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a leader
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lean — thin
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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