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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: stick · season · field · content · bulb · stem · spell · can

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. field — farmland
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — of the year
  7. field — for sport
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. season — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bulb — for light
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. content — the amount
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spell — magic
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — a subject
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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