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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stem — to come from
  5. can — a tin
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wax — to grow
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — in sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bass — low music
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fine — all right

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