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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: ground · drill · bark · roll · pitch · stick · spell · saw

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — magic
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. drill — the tool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. drill — army training
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — a position

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