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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 · stem · mate · drill · ruler · chair

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. season — to add flavour

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