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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 120 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: prune · pop · firm · wave · pitch · chest · stock · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. firm — a company
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chest — a box
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pop — soda
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — steady
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stock — goods
  17. chest — of your body
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stock — shares

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