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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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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: tube · object · bat · deal · season · stem · racket · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. object — to protest
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. object — an aim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — to come from

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