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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. can — to be able to
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a face
  5. fall — to drop
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — farmland
  12. club — a group
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fall — the season
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — for sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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