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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: bowl · row · pitch · mark · mug · root · prune · stem

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mug — a face
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitch — completely
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mug — to rob
  18. root — the cause
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mark — a trace
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stem — of a plant

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