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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 116 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: club · trunk · bore · patient · ground · swing · pop · row

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. row — to paddle
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bore — to drill
  6. swing — to play on
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — soda
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. club — a group
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ground — crushed
  14. club — for golf
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pop — to visit
  17. club — for dancing
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — a line
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — a position
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. swing — music
  24. bore — gave birth

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