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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · straw · wound · pitcher · mine · mate · calf · spell

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — to breed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spell — magic

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