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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 · board · content · game · saw · mate · net · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. saw — the tool
  3. content — happy
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. net — for catching
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — in sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — a match
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mate — to breed
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. board — a committee
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. season — of the year
  19. stem — to come from
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. season — in sport
  24. content — the amount

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