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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stem — to come from
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mate — a friend
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. band — a ring
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mug — a face
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — a cup
  19. band — a music group
  20. season — of the year
  21. board — to get on
  22. mate — to breed
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bark — to shout

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