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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.

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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: pitcher · rest · snap · stem · stand · bound · court · chest

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. snap — to click
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bound — obliged
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. chest — a box
  19. stem — to come from
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — tied together
  24. court — for sport

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