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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 · ground · bound · bulb · content · kick · trunk · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. ground — the earth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — certain
  15. mine — for digging
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bulb — for light
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ground — a position
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kick — in football

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