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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cue — for pool
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cue — a signal
  11. field — for sport
  12. land — ground
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cue — a hint
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — to come down
  22. field — a subject
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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