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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 116 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: object · bore · branch · land · ball · snap · pitcher · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ball — a great time
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — to drill
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. object — an aim
  8. land — ground
  9. snap — to click
  10. bore — to tire
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — a division
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. object — to protest
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — to come down

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