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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: ground · swing · prune · pitch · roll · rush · stand · tear

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — hurry
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. ground — a position
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stand — to bear
  10. roll — a list
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. swing — in golf
  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