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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. season — in sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — a country
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. prune — to trim
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — low music
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bass — the fish
  22. season — of the year
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — of a plant

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