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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: stem · bulb · pitch · swing · wind · scale · patient · leaves

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — moving air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitch — completely
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. scale — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — size or range
  21. swing — music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bulb — of a plant

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