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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 · mug · wound · last · coach · bass · kick · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mug — a face
  7. bass — the fish
  8. last — to go on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — an injury
  12. last — finally
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pound — a weight
  17. kick — in football
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — final
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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