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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 120 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: pitcher · stem · mate · object · arm · lean · cold · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — to breed
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. mate — a friend
  12. object — to protest
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. lean — thin
  16. cold — an illness
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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