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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: mine · deal · pitch · ruler · hand · wound · arm · leaves

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. deal — to handle
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. arm — part of the body

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