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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · mine · bay · trunk · bore · shower · pitch · root

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — to tire
  4. mine — for digging
  5. root — the cause
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pop — music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — of a word
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. shower — to wash
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. root — of a plant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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