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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — a grade
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — in music
  6. pop — soda
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pop — to visit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pop — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. band — a music group
  16. bank — for money
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — of the year
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mark — a trace

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