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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: wake · bowl · tube · stem · pitcher · pop · racket · bat

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pop — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tube — the underground
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bat — the animal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tube — a container
  12. pop — soda
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bowl — to roll

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