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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: bat · wake · mine · pitch · nail · plane · stem · mug

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mug — a face
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mug — to rob

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