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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: sharp · wind · pitcher · bound · cue · stem · pitch · spell

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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