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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: bass · cue · row · foot · stem · land · stand · pitch

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. foot — a measure
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — a signal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. row — to paddle
  10. land — to come down
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — to bear
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cue — for pool
  17. row — a line
  18. pitch — completely
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitch — a sports field

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