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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mark — a trace
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — of the year
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bank — of a river
  13. court — of law
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mark — a grade
  18. court — for sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stem — to come from

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