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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.

Words on the sheet
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: stick · bore · club · wake · bat · pitcher · march · tube

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — music
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bore — to drill
  13. march — the month
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. march — the month
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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