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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 120 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: bulb · mine · stem · press · object · club · season · staff

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. object — a thing
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. club — for dancing
  5. staff — employees
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. object — to protest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — a stick
  16. object — an aim
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — for golf
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — newspapers
  21. club — a group
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. press — a publisher
  24. season — to add flavour

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