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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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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: trunk · pitcher · bay · bark · chest · kick · row · scale

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kick — in football
  5. chest — a box
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. row — a line
  13. scale — in music
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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