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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — farmland
  4. rash — hasty
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rash — a series
  8. firm — steady
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. firm — a company
  12. face — to confront
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a grade
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. face — to point toward
  19. firm — decided
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. face — part of the head

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