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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: bass · roll · ball · stem · patient · season · pitch · spell

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ball — a great time
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — letters
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitch — completely
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ball — a dance
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bass — the fish
  19. spell — magic
  20. roll — a list
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bass — low music
  24. roll — a cake

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