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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · wind · spell · mug · mine · foot · bound · fan

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. bound — obliged
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bound — certain
  11. foot — a measure
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mug — a face
  16. spell — letters
  17. mine — for digging
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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