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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. court — for sport
  11. can — to be able to
  12. court — of law
  13. stem — to come from
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — to add flavour

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