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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: rock · stem · sharp · spell · fork · spring · wake · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rock — music
  11. spell — magic
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — clever
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — letters
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pitch — completely

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