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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 120 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: fan · pitch · mine · scale · foot · bore · bark · club

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pitch — completely
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bore — to drill
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bark — to shout
  15. club — for golf
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — a group
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bore — to tire
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. scale — in music
  24. club — for dancing

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