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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · bass · season · temple · bore · clip · present · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. present — a gift
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — there
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — the fish
  13. clip — for paper
  14. chest — a box
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. season — of the year
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. clip — to cut
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bass — low music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — the time now
  24. bore — to drill

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