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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: sharp · wake · pitcher · spring · lean · court · mug · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. lean — to bend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lean — thin
  8. court — of law
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spring — of water
  12. mug — a cup
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mug — a face
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mug — to rob
  23. spring — a coil
  24. court — of a king

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