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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rock — music
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. march — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a match
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. march — the month
  23. field — for sport
  24. stem — to come from

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