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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.

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: stand · stem · pop · press · season · cue · kid · march

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. march — music
  3. season — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. press — a publisher
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kid — child
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stem — to come from
  19. press — to push
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — music
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pop — soda
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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