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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: pitcher · straw · charge · bark · trunk · calf · field · lie

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. field — farmland
  6. lie — to recline
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. charge — in control
  10. field — a subject
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. charge — a price
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — electricity
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. straw — dry grass

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