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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: lean · pitch · spell · stem · deal · board · bat · dip

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — a committee
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. board — to get on
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — for baseball

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