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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. season — of the year
  3. bank — for money
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. scale — in music
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. charge — electricity
  23. stem — to come from
  24. scale — size or range

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