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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. field — for sport
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. snap — to click
  8. cue — a hint
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. field — a subject
  11. band — a music group
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — to come from
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — farmland
  24. saw — the tool

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