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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. club — a group
  7. stem — to come from
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — soda
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. club — for golf
  24. field — for sport

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