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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: stem · racket · rest · season · fine · bass · trunk · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rest — a break
  17. fine — all right
  18. cold — an illness
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — not warm

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