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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: stem · dip · rock · bowl · cell · pitch · bulb · ball

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stem — to come from
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. ball — a dance
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cell — in a prison

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