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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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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: straw · wave · field · trunk · pitch · stick · kick · object

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. field — a subject
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. field — farmland
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. object — a thing
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kick — in football
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. object — an aim
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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