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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · patient · bark · calf · net · roll · key · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. net — after costs
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pitch — completely
  16. key — for a lock
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. roll — a list
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. key — in music
  24. patient — a sick person

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