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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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468
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 · roll · club · chest · stem · degree · rock · wave

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. chest — a box
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. club — a group
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. club — for golf
  13. roll — a list
  14. stem — to come from
  15. rock — a stone
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. degree — temperature
  18. season — in sport
  19. roll — a cake
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rock — music
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chest — of your body

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