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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: stem · can · wind · snap · calf · pitch · stock · mate

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — a partner
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — shares
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. snap — to click
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stock — a soup base

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