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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: wound · pitcher · trunk · rest · field · pitch · roll · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — what's left
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stem — to come from
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitch — completely
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — farmland
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rest — a break
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitch — a sports field

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