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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 116 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: wind · prune · swing · land · bay · can · pitch · cap

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. can — a tin
  4. cap — of ice
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. land — a country
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a hat
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — completely
  14. swing — music
  15. can — a tin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wind — moving air
  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