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

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — to handle
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. season — in sport
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — to come from
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — of the year

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