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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: stock · pitch · drill · bark · prune · pop · present · fan

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. present — there
  14. pop — to visit
  15. present — a gift
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — the time now
  23. pop — soda
  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