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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: bear · bat · bark · fine · court · spring · pitch · trunk

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fine — all right
  5. spring — of water
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. court — of law
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — to shout
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. court — for sport
  19. spring — the season
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fine — high quality

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