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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 · bark · bulb · pitcher · face · lean · object · arm

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. object — to protest
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. object — a thing
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lean — thin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. face — part of the head
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bulb — of a plant

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