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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: bark · pitcher · rush · mine · leaves · ground · suit · bore

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bore — to drill
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. suit — clothes
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — to fit
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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