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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: pop · hand · pitch · race · mouse · wound · nail · stem

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. race — a contest
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pop — soda
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mouse — the animal

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