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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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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: snap · wind · racket · stand · jam · pitch · band · stem

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wind — moving air
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. band — a ring

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