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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: stem · current · season · band · saw · spell · net · fall

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. current — of water
  4. net — for catching
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — after costs
  12. spell — a short time
  13. current — electric
  14. band — a ring
  15. fall — to drop
  16. current — happening now
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a music group
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fall — to drop

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