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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 · clip · pitcher · leaves · wake · pound · mine · wound

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — a trail
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pound — a weight
  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