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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mate — to breed
  3. content — happy
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. season — in sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pit — in a race
  8. firm — a company
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — a friend
  12. firm — decided
  13. band — a music group
  14. firm — steady
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. band — a ring
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pit — a hole
  20. content — the amount
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lean — thin
  23. mate — a partner
  24. lean — to bend

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