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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: stem · coach · chest · land · pitch · leaves · bulb · pound

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — of your body
  6. land — a country
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chest — a box
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stem — to come from
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pound — a weight

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