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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: pitch · wake · club · wound · mouse · last · bark · lean

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — finally
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. last — final
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. last — to go on
  17. club — for golf
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. lean — to bend
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wake — before a funeral

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