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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: pitch · saw · can · game · prune · last · hide · wake

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — to go on
  6. wake — a trail
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — final
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — to trim
  12. last — finally
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. pitch — completely
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. prune — to trim

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