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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: pitcher · firm · land · pound · mine · dip · leaves · staff

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. firm — a company
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pound — a weight
  18. dip — to sink
  19. staff — employees
  20. firm — decided
  21. staff — a stick
  22. firm — steady
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — of a tree

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