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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: march · ground · bank · mug · pitcher · kid · land · leaves

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — a position
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bank — for money
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mug — a cup
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mug — a face

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