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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · racket · present · toast · stem · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — a gift
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — in football
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. present — there
  12. toast — bread
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. present — the time now
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. racket — for tennis

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