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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: hand · mouse · ground · stem · swing · pitch · bulb · calf

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — help
  9. stem — to come from
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ground — the earth
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — crushed

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