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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: wave · season · perch · firm · stem · spring · file · pit

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spring — of water
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pit — a hole
  5. firm — a company
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. spring — the season
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pit — in a race
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. firm — decided
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stem — to come from

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