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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. shower — to wash
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — for sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — in football
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bank — for money
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bank — of a river
  20. shower — rain
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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