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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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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 · wave · cell · coach · pitch · bound · cold · stick

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — certain
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cell — a phone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — tied together
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bound — obliged
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pitch — completely
  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