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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · bass · pitch · mine · wound · tear · ground · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bass — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. can — to be able to
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ground — a position
  20. bass — low music
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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