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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: race · date · prune · temple · pitch · pitcher · wave · fan

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. race — humankind
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. race — a contest
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. prune — to trim
  18. race — the arms race
  19. date — the fruit
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — completely

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