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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: saw · pitch · clip · track · stem · march · lean · pass

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. march — the month
  4. track — a song
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stem — to come from
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. lean — thin
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. track — to keep track
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. track — a path
  24. march — music

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