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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: pitcher · fall · bank · bore · mate · land · spring · net

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. spring — of water
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bank — for money
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — for catching
  10. land — ground
  11. bank — for money
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bank — of a river
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — to breed
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — a friend
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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