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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kid — child
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — to tease
  11. field — for sport
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fine — all right
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — a subject

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