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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stem — to come from
  8. vault — a safe
  9. field — a subject
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — for sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. field — farmland
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — the month
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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