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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: season · row · dip · cabinet · squash · board · march · stem

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — music
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. board — to get on
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. march — the month
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. squash — the sport
  22. row — a line
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — a stem cell

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