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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: mine · pitcher · kick · root · pop · bore · swing · branch

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. kick — in football
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. root — of a word
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pop — soda
  15. swing — to play on
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. swing — in golf
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — the cause
  23. bore — to tire
  24. branch — a division

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