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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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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: swing · fall · bear · ground · race · band · pitcher · mate

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — to play on
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. race — humankind
  6. band — a ring
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. swing — music
  10. fall — the season
  11. bear — the animal
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. swing — in golf
  15. band — a music group
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — a position
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — crushed

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