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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 116 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: fan · coach · safe · sharp · perch · pitch · stem · net

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. net — for catching
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. net — after costs
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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