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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 · kick · trunk · bank · bark · prune · cue · land

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cue — a signal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cue — for pool
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bank — for money
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — a country
  22. land — ground
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kick — in football

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