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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: lean · stem · fine · track · season · bulb · chest · sharp

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lean — thin
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — to come from
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. track — a path
  16. chest — a box
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. track — to keep track
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. track — a song
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fine — high quality

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