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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 116 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 · straw · pitch · present · shower · bass · cap · bark

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pitch — completely
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bass — low music
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — rain
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cap — of ice
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. present — there

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