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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 120 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: racket · shower · patient · season · ground · stem · bear · staff

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — crushed
  8. shower — rain
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. stem — to come from
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — employees
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. staff — employees
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bear — to put up with
  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