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

Word bank: mug · stem · tear · chair · pitch · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. mug — a face
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stem — to come from
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitch — completely
  18. tear — from crying

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