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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: season · branch · court · squash · stem · bore · bay · wave

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. squash — the sport
  3. court — of law
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — of a king
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. branch — a division
  20. court — for sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. season — of the year
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stem — of a plant

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