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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: wind · stick · wound · last · rest · can · pitcher · mug

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rest — a break
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — final
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rest — what's left
  24. mug — a face

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