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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: stem · mug · rush · degree · nail · pop · clip · pitch

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stem — to come from
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pop — music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pop — soda
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. degree — temperature
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mug — a face
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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