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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: pitch · mine · can · object · ground · spell · tear · date

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. object — to protest
  8. can — to be able to
  9. object — a thing
  10. mine — for digging
  11. object — an aim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. can — a tin
  14. date — the fruit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spell — letters
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ground — crushed
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ground — a position
  24. date — on the calendar

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