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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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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 · field · snap · chip · drill · bark · pitcher · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. drill — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — a practice
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to click
  13. field — farmland
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — army training
  22. field — a subject
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bark — to shout

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