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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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468
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 · game · mark · spring · cabinet · bore · pound · ball

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bore — to tire
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bore — to drill
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — the season
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spring — of water
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ball — a great time

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