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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: bank · ground · pound · land · cue · wound · fork · pitcher

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. land — ground
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cue — for pool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. land — a country
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. land — to come down

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