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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: swing · land · ground · mark · stem · pitcher · deal · rush

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. land — a country
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. land — ground
  16. ground — crushed
  17. swing — music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — to come down
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. swing — in golf
  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