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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: leaves · pitcher · net · club · spell · wound · stem · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. net — for catching
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. club — for dancing
  12. spell — letters
  13. club — for golf
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. club — a group
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. stem — to come from

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