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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: mark · pitch · bear · fork · wind · pitcher · trunk · saw

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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