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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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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: stick · season · stem · cell · court · fork · tear · pit

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. court — of law
  6. cell — in biology
  7. court — of a king
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — for sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fork — in a road

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