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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: prune · kid · pitch · ruler · season · lie · wound · land

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — in sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — to recline
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitch — completely
  17. season — of the year
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — to tease
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — child

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