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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: plane · prune · bulb · rash · pitch · can · game · degree

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitch — completely
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — hasty
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — temperature
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rash — a series
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a match

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