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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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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: stem · deal · bay · stick · last · drill · wake · season

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. last — final
  6. season — in sport
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — of the year
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. drill — the tool
  18. last — finally
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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