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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. toast — bread
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. row — a line
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. band — a ring
  14. bore — to drill
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — to paddle
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a music group

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