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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · trunk · toast · field · current · stem · bear · pitch

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pitch — completely
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bear — the animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — electric
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. field — farmland
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — the season
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. field — for sport

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