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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 · object · present · pass · branch · field · stem · bowl

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. object — to protest
  3. present — there
  4. field — a subject
  5. object — an aim
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. branch — a division
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — the time now
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. object — a thing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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