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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: wave · mark · perch · pitch · stem · file · mate · season

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. season — of the year
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a document
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. file — a tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mate — a friend
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. file — a line of people

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