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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: mug · band · pit · wax · pitcher · field · lean · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — for sport
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. field — a subject
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. band — a music group
  18. mug — to rob
  19. band — a ring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — thin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. field — farmland
  24. hand — in cards

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