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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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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: ground · stem · branch · pitch · sharp · last · pitcher · wax

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — a division
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. last — finally
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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