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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: pitch · prune · stock · jam · shower · craft · spring · arm

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. shower — to wash
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. craft — boats
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. shower — rain
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. arm — a part of something

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