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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: root · mug · march · bound · mine · pitch · hand · craft

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — for digging
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bound — tied together
  11. craft — boats
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hand — help
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a face
  18. march — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bound — obliged
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — completely
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — the month

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