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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: swing · stem · bat · bark · roll · drill · file · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. drill — army training
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. file — a document
  8. pitch — completely
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stem — to come from
  11. file — a tool
  12. swing — music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. roll — a list
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bark — to shout
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bat — the animal

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