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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: toast · season · leaves · stem · squash · content · net · ground

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. squash — the sport
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. content — happy
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. content — the amount
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. toast — bread
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ground — a position
  24. squash — to crush

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