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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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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: pass · stem · pitch · clip · firm · track · band · ruler

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — to come from
  7. firm — decided
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — a video
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. firm — steady
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitch — completely
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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