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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: calf · pitch · field · spell · file · bass · trunk · mug

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mug — a face
  8. field — a subject
  9. file — a tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bass — low music
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. file — a document
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. file — a line of people
  17. field — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mug — a cup
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — farmland
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bass — the fish

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