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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: file · stock · pitcher · season · prune · pitch · bulb · fine

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitch — completely
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. season — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stock — shares
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fine — all right
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. file — a document
  22. stock — goods
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitch — a sports field

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