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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: shower · bulb · wound · track · row · present · bore · pitch

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. track — a song
  9. bore — to tire
  10. present — the time now
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — a line
  18. bore — to drill
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitch — completely
  22. row — to paddle
  23. shower — to wash
  24. present — there

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