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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. field — for sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. field — farmland
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — a trail
  9. field — a subject
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. staff — employees
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hand — help
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. hand — in cards

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