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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: straw · wind · spring · temple · band · firm · pitch · mug

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. band — a ring
  3. firm — decided
  4. wind — moving air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — a coil
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — of water
  9. firm — a company
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — to rob
  16. firm — steady
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a music group
  19. mug — a face
  20. wind — moving air
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mug — a cup
  23. spring — the season
  24. band — a rubber band

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