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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: hand · rush · season · stem · board · deal · racket · scale

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. board — a committee
  5. hand — help
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. season — in sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. season — of the year
  12. stem — to come from
  13. scale — in music
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. deal — to handle
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. board — to get on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. scale — size or range

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