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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: bound · mine · fan · pitch · lean · straw · pass · spell

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. spell — letters
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — tied together
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bound — obliged

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