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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: pitch · spring · pop · court · face · wake · bark · ruler

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. face — to confront
  5. pop — music
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — the season
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. court — for sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. court — of a king
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spring — a coil
  20. court — of law
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. face — part of the head

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