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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 116 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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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: deal · rest · present · field · wind · pitch · stem · stick

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rest — a break
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitch — completely
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — a subject
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. field — for sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — moving air
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. field — farmland
  21. present — the time now
  22. deal — to handle
  23. present — there
  24. wind — moving air

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