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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. club — for golf
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. spell — letters
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. season — of the year
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — to come from
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. season — in sport
  16. march — music
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  24. club — a 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