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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 120 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mate — a partner
  6. court — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. march — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of a king
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of law
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mate — a friend

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