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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: nail · coach · trunk · mine · racket · pitch · bulb · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bulb — for light
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pitch — completely
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mine — for digging
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. racket — a loud noise

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