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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: pound · pass · bulb · racket · stem · mark · season · current

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — of water
  11. stem — to come from
  12. current — happening now
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. current — electric
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bulb — for light

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