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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 · pitch · bear · dip · court · last · fan · pound

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. court — of a king
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. last — finally
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — final
  23. pound — a weight
  24. last — to go on

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