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

Word bank: prune · track · net · drill · bark · deal · straw · pitcher

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — the tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — in sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — a practice
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. track — a path
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. track — a song
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — the fruit

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