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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: cap · stick · pitcher · field · march · bore · stem · racket

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. march — music
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — to come from
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cap — a lid
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bore — to tire
  19. field — for sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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