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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — the amount
  9. season — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fine — all right
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fine — high quality
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — a trail
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — to breed

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