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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stem — to come from
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — of the year
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — the earth
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — a position
  22. stand — to bear
  23. staff — a stick
  24. stand — on your feet

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