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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: saw · track · swing · land · bear · season · pitcher · wake

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — ground
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. track — a song
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. season — of the year
  23. land — a country
  24. season — in sport

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