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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: ground · leaves · mine · pitcher · mate · dip · band · mark

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ground — the earth
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mate — to breed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ground — a position
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mate — a partner

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