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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: pitcher · snap · ball · mate · mug · season · stem · spring

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — in sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — of the year
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. ball — a great time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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