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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 · bound · ball · wake · present · kid · kick

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bound — obliged
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. season — in sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bound — certain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wake — a trail
  18. present — the time now
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. present — there
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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