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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 120 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: leaves · bat · bulb · wind · game · pitcher · mug · wound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bulb — for light
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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