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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: press · field · pitch · club · stem · bore · spell · bat

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. club — for dancing
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stem — to come from
  8. club — for golf
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. press — to push
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — the animal
  15. press — a publisher
  16. club — a group
  17. pitch — completely
  18. field — farmland
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spell — letters
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — in an idiom

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