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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: deal · spring · wake · field · pit · pitcher · mug · ground

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — a subject
  4. mug — a face
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. field — for sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spring — of water
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mug — a cup
  13. spring — the season
  14. field — farmland
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — a coil
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitcher — a jug

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