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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 116 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 · suit · land · bore · pass · branch · stem · cold

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. land — to come down
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. suit — clothes
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. land — ground
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — to come from
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bore — to tire
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pass — a permit
  17. branch — a division
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. land — a country
  20. season — in sport
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cold — not warm
  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