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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: jam · perch · snap · spell · stem · tear · ground · season

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ground — the earth
  5. spell — a short time
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. ground — crushed
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to click
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spell — letters
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. tear — from crying

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