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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bat · branch · hide · rock · prune · pitch · arm

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. rock — music
  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