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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: wax · deal · stem · season · pitcher · mate · ball · face

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. season — of the year
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — to come from
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mate — a friend
  14. face — part of the head
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mate — to breed
  24. ball — a great time

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