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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 120 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: current · pitcher · wound · stand · mine · mate · trunk · ground

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. current — happening now
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — for digging
  9. current — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — the earth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stand — to bear
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a partner
  24. current — electric

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