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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. land — to come down
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. club — for golf
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. land — a country
  14. club — a group
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — ground
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — to lash out

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