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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stem — to come from
  15. capital — a city
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — money
  21. board — to get on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — the animal
  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