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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. board — to get on
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mine — for digging
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bore — to tire
  24. board — a committee

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