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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: mate · pitch · wind · mug · fall · pitcher · leaves · band

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. band — a ring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mate — a partner
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mug — a face
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fall — the season
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitch — completely

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