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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · pitcher · pop · mate · sharp · plane · hand · band

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mate — to breed
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pop — soda
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — music
  16. hand — help
  17. plane — a tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hand — in cards
  21. band — a music group
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. sharp — clever

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