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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.

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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: bay · present · season · stem · chair · hand · mouse · cold

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hand — help
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cold — an illness
  24. present — the time now

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