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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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468
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: game · season · spring · fine · ball · kick · stem · stand

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. season — in sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kick — in football
  6. spring — of water
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ball — a dance
  9. season — of the year
  10. fine — all right
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. stem — to come from
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. ball — a great time
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stand — on your feet

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