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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: stem · bound · pitch · ball · swing · band · fine · mine

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. swing — to play on
  7. band — a ring
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — completely
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bound — certain
  15. band — a music group
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fine — all right
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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