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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 · present · track · season · bay · last · lash · pop

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. season — in sport
  3. last — final
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pop — music
  10. track — a path
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. season — of the year
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. track — to keep track
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a song
  20. present — a gift
  21. last — finally
  22. present — the time now
  23. pop — soda
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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