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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: rule · calf · swing · spring · chest · pitch · prune · hide

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spring — of water
  17. swing — music
  18. chest — a box
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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