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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: pitch · trunk · prune · wake · march · chest · wave · pitcher

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. march — music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — a trail
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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