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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. charge — in control
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — help
  18. charge — a price
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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