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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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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. march — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. field — for sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. last — final
  12. content — happy
  13. last — to go on
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. march — the month
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. field — farmland
  22. last — finally
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wax — to grow

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