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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 120 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: suit · chest · bark · mine · pitcher · object · mate · lean

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — to breed
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — a friend
  10. suit — to fit
  11. chest — a box
  12. object — a thing
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mate — a partner
  17. object — an aim
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. object — to protest
  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