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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 · net · club · wind · pitch · bear · stand · spell

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stand — to bear
  4. club — for dancing
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spell — magic
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spell — letters
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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