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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: prune · bark · fan · stand · game · staff · arm · pitch

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — a match
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. staff — employees
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. staff — a stick
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. prune — to trim
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — to cool the air

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