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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: chest · lash · date · stem · jam · board · season · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. chest — of your body
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — of the year
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. board — to get on
  13. chest — a box
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. season — in sport
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lash — to lash out

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