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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 120 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: board · fork · bore · mark · pitch · pound · spring · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mark — a trace
  5. can — to be able to
  6. board — to get on
  7. spring — the season
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fork — in a road
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mark — a grade

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