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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: pitch · season · cap · stock · spring · board · chair · stem

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitch — completely
  5. board — to get on
  6. stem — to come from
  7. season — of the year
  8. board — a committee
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cap — a hat
  13. spring — of water
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stock — goods
  24. stem — a stem cell

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