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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: wind · pitcher · dip · mouse · ground · fine · lean · mine

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fine — high quality
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lean — thin
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mine — belonging to me

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