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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: mark · tube · pitch · trunk · stem · coach · saw · capital

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a big letter

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