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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: jam · pop · bore · degree · trunk · mine · racket · capital

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — to visit
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. degree — an amount
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bore — to drill
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — soda
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pop — music
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. degree — from a university
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — belonging to me

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