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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 · wave · field · row · present · mine · pound · stick

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. field — a subject
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. present — a gift
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. present — the time now
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — there
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — a line
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pound — a weight

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