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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: ground · pit · wake · mate · hand · swing · bank · bore

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wake — a trail
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mate — a friend
  17. ground — a position
  18. swing — music
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bank — for money
  24. bore — to drill

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