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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: wind · coach · mug · pitcher · bass · net · field · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. field — a subject
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bass — low music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — after costs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — a face
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. wind — to turn a key

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