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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 116 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 · hand · can · stem · kid · dip · lean · bass

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — to be able to
  16. dip — to sink
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kid — child
  20. season — of the year
  21. can — a tin
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — thin
  24. dip — a sauce

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