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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: row · ball · drill · season · perch · plane · prune · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — to trim
  5. drill — the tool
  6. season — of the year
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ball — a dance
  13. perch — the fish
  14. plane — a tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitch — completely
  21. drill — a practice
  22. row — to paddle
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. drill — army training

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