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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: pitch · rock · mine · land · march · bound · fine · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fine — all right
  3. bound — obliged
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. land — a country
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. land — ground
  11. mine — for digging
  12. march — the month
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — certain
  15. rock — music
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. march — music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rock — a stone

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