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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: prune · board · march · stick · court · row · pitch · bark

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — for sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. pitch — completely
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. row — a line
  19. board — a committee
  20. bark — to shout
  21. court — of a king
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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