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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: mine · pitcher · pound · bear · snap · suit · chip · land

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chip — for betting
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — a weight
  13. land — a country
  14. mine — for digging
  15. land — ground
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. land — to come down
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. chip — in a computer

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