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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: track · roll · stem · plane · season · game · cabinet · foot

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — a path
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. season — in sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. track — a song
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. roll — on a roll

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