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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: rash · sharp · wound · season · stem · pit · spell · fall

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. sharp — clever
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pit — in a race
  5. season — in sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. season — of the year
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — the season
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spell — magic
  16. rash — hasty
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — a short time
  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