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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. last — final
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. suit — in cards
  6. last — to go on
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. suit — to fit
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. last — finally
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. suit — clothes
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. season — in sport

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