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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. field — a subject
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. staff — a stick
  5. court — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. court — of law
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of a king
  12. bass — low music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pass — a permit
  17. staff — employees
  18. field — for 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