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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: hand · bay · pop · rush · band · spell · net · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. net — for catching
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — after costs
  12. spell — letters
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — magic
  17. pop — soda
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — a thrill

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