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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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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 · bass · cap · root · snap · stock · pitch · wave

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to click
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bass — the fish
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bass — low music
  15. root — of a plant
  16. stock — goods
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stock — shares
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitch — completely

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