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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 120 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 · band · snap · fall · pitcher · pitch · nail · charge

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — completely
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. charge — a price
  14. fall — the season
  15. snap — to click
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — to drop
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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