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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 116 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 · spring · spell · prune · hand · trunk · season · rest

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. spell — letters
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spring — the season
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spring — a coil

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