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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cell — in biology
  4. field — a subject
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fine — all right
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kid — child
  21. field — farmland
  22. kid — to tease
  23. field — for sport
  24. fine — high quality

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