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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: pitch · firm · bank · last · wake · stem · clip · fork

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. firm — decided
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bank — of a river
  8. last — final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bank — for money
  12. fork — in a road
  13. last — to go on
  14. firm — steady
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bank — for money
  22. firm — a company
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wake — before a funeral

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