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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: stick · club · last · degree · band · pitch · stem · spell

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. club — for dancing
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. last — finally
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. club — a group
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. band — a music group
  20. last — final
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — letters

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