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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: suit · bark · present · net · season · file · stem · cap

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. suit — clothes
  3. season — of the year
  4. bark — to shout
  5. file — a tool
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. net — after costs
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. net — for catching
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. season — in sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. suit — to fit
  20. net — in sport
  21. suit — in cards
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — there

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