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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: kid · arm · leaves · bass · season · stem · fork · bulb

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. season — in sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bass — low music
  6. fork — in a road
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — of the year
  22. kid — child
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. season — to add flavour

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