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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: march · prune · jam · bark · racket · roll · pitch · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. roll — a list
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — to shout
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. march — the month
  16. stand — to bear
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. march — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — completely
  22. march — the month
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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