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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: pitcher · pitch · stem · land · wind · pop · file · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. land — a country
  3. file — a document
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — to come down
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. file — a tool
  16. pop — music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wind — moving air

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