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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: date · stem · pitch · rock · rash · net · face · staff

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pitch — completely
  6. date — the fruit
  7. net — after costs
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rock — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — a series
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rash — hasty
  21. staff — employees
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — employees
  24. rash — on the skin

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