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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: pitch · bore · present · bank · ground · ball · plane · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pitch — completely
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. ground — a position
  6. present — there
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bank — for money
  9. present — a gift
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bank — for money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bore — to tire
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — a subject
  19. ground — crushed
  20. present — the time now
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. field — for sport

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