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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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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bulb — for light
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. field — for sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. sharp — clever

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