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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 116 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: bulb · club · mine · pitcher · can · calf · stem · pitch

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. club — for golf
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — a group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. can — a tin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — a sports field

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