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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: bark · straw · trunk · cue · pitch · fork · lean · season

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cue — a hint
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lean — thin
  20. cue — a signal
  21. season — of the year
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. straw — dry grass

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