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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: saw · cue · roll · bound · chest · season · club · stem

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. roll — a list
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bound — certain
  14. season — in sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. season — of the year
  17. chest — of your body
  18. club — a group
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. roll — a cake
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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