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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 116 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: kick · wound · can · leaves · ground · nail · stand · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — to bear
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ground — the earth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — crushed
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. ground — a position
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kick — in football
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pitcher — a jug

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