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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 · pitch · march · scale · pop · staff · track · current

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. track — a song
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. march — music
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. pop — music
  10. current — of water
  11. staff — a stick
  12. track — to keep track
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a path
  16. pop — to visit
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — soda
  22. scale — size or range
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — a sales talk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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