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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stick · mug · mine · season · club · file · tube · stem

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. club — a group
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mug — a face
  13. season — of the year
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mine — for digging
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. club — for golf
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tube — in a tire

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