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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: mark · tear · pitch · prune · squash · calf · stock · drill

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. drill — army training
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mark — a trace
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — completely
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. stock — goods
  21. drill — a practice
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stock — shares

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