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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: perch · pitch · bulb · bound · file · stem · net · ground

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stem — to come from
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — after costs
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. net — for catching
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. perch — the fish
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — crushed
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bound — certain
  21. bulb — for light
  22. ground — a position
  23. perch — for a bird
  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