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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · pitch · spring · trunk · mug · cell · chip · prune

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — of water
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. season — in sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pitch — completely
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. chip — to eat
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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