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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. club — for golf
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. game — wild animals
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. season — in sport
  10. plane — a tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. stem — to come from
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — a match
  16. capital — a city
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bank — for money
  21. mark — a grade
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. club — for dancing
  24. capital — money

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