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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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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 · firm · stem · court · ground · wake · bulb · fan

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. firm — steady
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. firm — decided
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — a position
  9. firm — a company
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — of a king
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wake — before a funeral

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