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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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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lean — thin
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lean — to bend
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. coach — a trainer

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