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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: face · club · mark · trunk · band · bore · pitcher · chip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. face — to confront
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for golf
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — a group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chip — for betting
  21. mark — a grade
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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