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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a friend
  9. file — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stem — to come from
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — moving air

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