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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: bowl · stem · row · land · stick · season · can · scale

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. land — ground
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. season — of the year
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. can — a tin
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — to come down
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a line
  20. land — a country
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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