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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bass · present · arm · spell · season · sharp · stem · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. present — a gift
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bass — the fish
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — of the year
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. spell — a short time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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