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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
468
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 · wound · staff · tube · tear · lash · mine · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. staff — employees
  8. mine — for digging
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. staff — employees
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — a sports field

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