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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: press · fork · chest · spell · season · bass · stem · safe

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — to come from
  6. spell — a short time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. season — of the year
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chest — a box
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fork — to eat with

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