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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: spell · prune · roll · bank · hand · current · kick · pitch

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. roll — a list
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. current — of water
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bank — for money
  13. current — happening now
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — help
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. roll — a cake
  20. kick — in football
  21. current — electric
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — for money

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