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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: prune · straw · pitch · rule · mine · squash · ground · rock

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ground — the earth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rule — a law
  9. rock — a stone
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. squash — to crush
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — a position
  24. straw — dry grass

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