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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitch — completely
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — a song
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — a path
  24. pitch — a sports field

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