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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
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: trunk · pitch · stick · last · plane · bear · roll · rash

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. last — finally
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rash — a series
  5. bear — the animal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. roll — a list
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. last — final
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — to go on
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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