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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 · net · stem · land · charge · stand · straw · mine

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. charge — in control
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — in sport
  7. land — a country
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stand — to bear
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. mine — for digging
  17. net — after costs
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — to come from

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