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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: rash · field · pitch · dip · can · foot · stem · fall

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — a subject
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitch — completely
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. rash — a series
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. can — a tin

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