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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: game · pitch · prune · band · snap · mate · wave · suit

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. snap — to click
  6. band — a ring
  7. game — wild animals
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. suit — to fit
  19. band — a music group
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. suit — clothes
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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