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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: season · ground · jam · stem · wind · tube · fork · perch

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — a position
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — the underground
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. jam — a tight spot

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