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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: present · jam · mark · net · stem · season · pitcher · wave

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. net — after costs
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. net — in sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stem — to come from
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. present — the time now
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a trace
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. net — for catching
  20. season — in sport
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — a jug

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