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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. field — farmland
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. field — for sport
  8. band — a music group
  9. stem — to come from
  10. clip — a video
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — a subject
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. clip — for paper

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