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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. key — the most important part
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bore — to drill
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. face — to confront
  23. field — a subject
  24. stem — a stem cell

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