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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 116 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. firm — steady
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — a company
  10. land — a country
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. season — of the year
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — to come down
  15. season — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. land — ground
  18. net — in sport
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. firm — decided
  21. field — for sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — for catching

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