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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: wake · pitch · ground · suit · spring · file · present · stem

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stem — to come from
  3. present — a gift
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — a coil
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. suit — to fit
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — of water
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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