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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 120 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: season · bark · pitch · chest · fall · trunk · rock · staff

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. rock — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitch — completely
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. season — of the year
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rock — a stone
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chest — of your body
  16. season — in sport
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. staff — employees
  23. fall — to drop
  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