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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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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: hand · straw · row · stem · charge · bear · stick · pitch

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. charge — a price
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hand — help
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — in cards
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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