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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 120 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: pitcher · fine · rash · coach · spell · last · stem · season

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — in sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — finally
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — final
  13. rash — a series
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stem — to come from
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. last — to go on
  24. season — to add flavour

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