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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 120 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: pitcher · wake · pitch · snap · hand · bark · stand · lean

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — help
  9. bark — to shout
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. snap — to click
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stand — to bear

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