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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: board · bulb · prune · bore · pitcher · hand · track · stand

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hand — help
  10. track — a path
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — to keep track
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — in cards
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bulb — for light
  22. board — to get on
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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