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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cap — a hat
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. field — farmland
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. last — final
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — finally
  23. kick — in football
  24. last — to go on

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