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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: pitch · march · scale · stick · pop · stem · saw · face

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pop — music
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stem — to come from
  24. march — music

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