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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: bear · land · present · suit · foot · mine · pitcher · hand

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. land — ground
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. suit — in cards
  9. land — a country
  10. present — the time now
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. present — there
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — in cards
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. present — a gift
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. suit — clothes
  24. foot — a measure

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