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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: track · swing · row · pitch · prune · bark · degree · bore

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — to keep track
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — music
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. track — a path
  13. pitch — completely
  14. prune — to trim
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. row — to paddle
  20. track — a song
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bore — to drill

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