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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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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. season — of the year
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. rock — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tube — the underground
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spell — magic
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. tube — a container
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — to sink

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