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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: patient · stem · pitcher · bore · pitch · spell · season · rule

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rule — government
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spell — letters
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rule — a law
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stem — to come from

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