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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. season — of the year
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. roll — a list
  13. charge — electricity
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. charge — in control
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. charge — a price
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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