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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · ball · content · pitch · net · stem · chip · root

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. ball — a dance
  3. net — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. chip — for betting
  9. net — after costs
  10. stem — to come from
  11. root — of a word
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — happy
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. root — the cause
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. net — for catching
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pitch — completely
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. ball — a great time

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