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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 116 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 · trunk · mate · kid · rock · deal · stem · mine

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. deal — to handle
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mate — a friend
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mate — a partner
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. season — of the year
  22. kid — child
  23. season — in sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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