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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 120 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: stem · mark · pop · cap · season · last · bay · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cap — of ice
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. last — final
  7. season — of the year
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pop — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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