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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: spell · track · wind · court · pitch · stem · nail · kick

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. court — of law
  9. track — to keep track
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. track — a song
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — letters

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