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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: swing · pitcher · mouse · stand · wind · lash · mine · leaves

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. swing — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lash — an eyelash

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