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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 · fan · pitch · wound · arm · present · season · can

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. can — a tin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. present — a gift
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. present — the time now
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. season — of the year
  20. present — there
  21. wound — an injury
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. arm — part of the body

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