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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: pound · patient · cell · rush · pitch · mug · saw · wake

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — a trail
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — before a funeral

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