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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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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: march · staff · trunk · pitch · bark · lash · shower · arm

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. staff — a stick
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pitch — completely

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