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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. track — to keep track
  7. chest — a box
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. track — a song
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. can — a tin
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — a container
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. chest — of your body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. temple — a place of worship

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