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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: pitcher · wind · lie · present · lean · swing · arm · capital

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. capital — money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. present — the time now
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lie — to recline
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lean — to bend
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitcher — a jug

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