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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 116 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: pop · stem · saw · branch · kid · game · pitch · rush

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rush — hurry
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. kid — child
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kid — to tease
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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