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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. net — for catching
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pass — a permit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. net — after costs
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. field — for sport
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — in sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bore — to drill

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