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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: stem · field · band · net · pop · pitcher · coach · season

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. pop — soda
  23. band — a ring
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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