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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: pitch · staff · bear · kid · band · jam · stem · pitcher

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stem — to come from
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — a stick
  7. band — a music group
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitch — completely
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bear — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. staff — employees
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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