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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. ground — crushed
  7. field — a subject
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bank — for money
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bank — of a river
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ground — a position
  18. bank — for money
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. drill — army training

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