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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. march — music
  3. court — of law
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. saw — the tool
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — the month
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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