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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 120 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: season · club · track · wound · squash · lean · stem · plane

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — to keep track
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lean — thin
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. track — a song
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. club — for golf
  13. track — a path
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lean — to bend
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. squash — the sport

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