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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · stem · chest · perch · pit · ball · squash · season

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. season — in sport
  10. chest — a box
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pit — a hole
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stem — to come from
  20. squash — the sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. hand — help
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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