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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 120 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: race · stem · can · pitch · bore · spell · staff · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — humankind
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. race — a contest
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spell — magic
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bore — to tire
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. can — to be able to
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stem — to come from

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