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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: season · straw · net · stem · pitch · chip · vault · wave

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. vault — a safe
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. net — for catching
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. season — of the year
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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