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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · tear · pitch · track · cell · lean · saw · bark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitch — completely
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cell — a phone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — to rip
  18. swing — music
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bark — to shout
  21. swing — to play on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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