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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: stem · roll · wave · pitch · field · tube · board · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. board — to get on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. field — farmland
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tube — the underground
  17. field — a subject
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — a container
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. roll — a list
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. roll — a cake

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