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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 · bore · stand · mug · pitch · cell · field · foot

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. mug — a face
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in biology
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bore — to tire
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitch — completely

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