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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · spell · bark · cell · fine · wound · calf

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cell — a phone
  3. march — the month
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spell — magic
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — all right
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. cell — in biology
  24. march — music

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