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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: spell · board · last · bear · stock · drill · prune · pitcher

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. drill — a practice
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. board — to get on
  12. last — final
  13. stock — goods
  14. spell — letters
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — a committee
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spell — magic
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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