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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: ground · lean · spell · mouse · pitcher · stick · land · mate

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. land — a country
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. spell — magic
  9. land — ground
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — a position
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. land — to come down
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — letters

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