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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 120 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: bark · deal · straw · court · scale · stand · trunk · pitcher

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. scale — size or range
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. stand — to bear
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bark — to shout
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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