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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: march · wave · bore · bat · bear · suit · pitch · bark

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bore — to drill
  17. suit — clothes
  18. march — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. suit — to fit
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bark — of a tree

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