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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: pitch · deal · date · rush · ground · wind · saw · bank

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. bank — for money
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — the earth
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bank — for money

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