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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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. object — a thing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ground — the earth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. object — an aim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. object — to protest
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bear — the animal

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