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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: suit · saw · season · capital · calf · pitcher · shower · stem

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. capital — money
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. shower — to wash
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — in sport
  12. suit — clothes
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. capital — a city
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. season — of the year
  22. stem — to come from
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitcher — a jug

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