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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spring — a coil
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bark — to shout
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. spring — of water
  23. track — a song
  24. spring — the season

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