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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.

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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: wound · cue · racket · last · stem · can · season · charge

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — to come from
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. can — a tin
  11. season — of the year
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. can — a tin
  17. charge — electricity
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. last — final
  20. charge — a price
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. charge — in control
  24. cue — a signal

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