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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: scale · race · hand · prune · pitch · chest · lean · racket

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — a box
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. scale — in music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. scale — size or range
  12. prune — to trim
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. race — the arms race
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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