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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 116 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 · ball · field · sharp · rock · file · stem · pitch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ball — a dance
  3. file — a tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. field — for sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. rock — music
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rock — a stone
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a document
  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