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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: suit · pitch · ground · stem · perch · leaves · date · track

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ground — a position
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — a path
  7. suit — to fit
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ground — crushed
  10. track — a song
  11. stem — to come from
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. date — the fruit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. suit — clothes
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — of a tree

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