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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — finally
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — in sport
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bound — certain

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