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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: mine · dip · mug · cue · net · pitcher · fall · band

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — a hint
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. net — after costs
  9. fall — to drop
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — to rob
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fall — the season
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. net — in sport
  24. band — a music group

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