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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.

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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: mine · mouse · calf · pit · rush · bark · trunk · pitcher

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pit — in a race
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rush — to hurry

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