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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: pitch · lean · bowl · wound · mug · file · stem · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lean — thin
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lean — to bend
  11. file — a tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pitch — completely
  14. file — a document
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. chest — a box
  18. mug — a face
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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