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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. board — to get on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. object — an aim
  7. field — for sport
  8. fall — the season
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. object — a thing
  12. hand — help
  13. board — a committee
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hand — in cards
  17. object — to protest
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fall — to drop
  22. field — a subject
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stand — for spectators

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