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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mark — a grade
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — for sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. field — farmland
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — an aim
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — the season
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. object — a thing
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spring — of water
  23. field — a subject
  24. object — to protest

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