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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: lean · ground · fine · season · net · stem · date · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — all right
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. lean — to bend
  7. date — the fruit
  8. net — for catching
  9. suit — in cards
  10. net — after costs
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — in sport
  16. suit — to fit
  17. season — of the year
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ground — a position
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fine — high quality
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — of a plant

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