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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: bore · spell · pitch · spring · pitcher · pass · wound · march

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — magic
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spring — the season
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wound — an injury
  14. spell — letters
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — to tire
  19. march — music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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