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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: drill · fall · pound · pitch · bark · fork · craft · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. sharp — clever
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pound — a weight
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. drill — a practice

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