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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: lean · trunk · pitch · pitcher · leaves · clip · root · straw

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to bend
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. root — the cause
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. root — of a word
  15. lean — thin
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — for paper
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. trunk — of a car

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