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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: bear · march · mine · roll · pitch · pound · trunk · mug

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mug — a cup
  5. march — music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mug — a face
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mine — for digging
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pound — a weight
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitch — a sports field

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