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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 120 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: stand · pitcher · prune · ground · track · drill · sharp · branch

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. track — a path
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. ground — a position
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. drill — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — to keep track
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ground — the earth
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — crushed
  21. drill — a practice
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stand — to bear

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