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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
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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: stand · land · current · wound · coach · lash · season · pitcher

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — to bear
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. land — a country
  20. current — happening now
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — of water

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