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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — in sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — to bend
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. season — of the year
  22. net — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — to come from

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