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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: pitch · trunk · bound · rock · pitcher · wake · saw · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. trunk — 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