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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: track · wake · firm · pitch · band · pitcher · spring · mouse

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. track — a song
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitch — completely
  22. firm — decided
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. spring — of water

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