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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: wound · bound · kid · stem · dip · stand · pitch · season

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitch — completely
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bound — certain
  8. kid — child
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bound — tied together
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — of the year
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. season — in sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wound — an injury

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