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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: hand · pitcher · bay · wound · lie · leaves · ground · date

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — crushed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — help
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. lie — to recline

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