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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · season · field · last · perch · ruler · stem · spring

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. perch — the fish
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — final
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spring — the season
  15. last — finally
  16. field — for sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. field — farmland
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — of the year
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. last — to go on

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