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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: net · pitch · arm · field · stock · prune · tube · calf

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — for catching
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. tube — a container
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — shares
  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