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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: roll · mate · prune · pitch · fine · wind · saw · fork

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fine — high quality
  14. roll — a list
  15. mate — a partner
  16. roll — a cake
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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