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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. track — a song
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. race — humankind
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. race — a contest
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. race — the arms race
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to sink
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. patient — a sick person

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