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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: wound · bear · prune · rash · pitcher · lie · suit · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — to come down
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — hasty
  24. land — a country

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