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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 · lie · trunk · bark · plane · row · spring · dip

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bark — to shout
  12. dip — to sink
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — of water
  24. row — a line

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