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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 · trunk · pitch · staff · bore · sharp · wake · rash

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mine — for digging
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bore — to tire
  10. staff — employees
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. staff — employees
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. staff — a stick
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — a series

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