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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: trunk · net · spring · stand · bore · pitcher · mouse · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. net — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. bore — to drill
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. net — after costs
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — for catching
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spring — a coil

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