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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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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: mark · kick · pitch · stem · cell · deal · rock · branch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cell — in biology
  8. branch — a division
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mark — a trace
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rock — music
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. kick — in football
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mark — a grade

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