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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. field — for sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — to come from
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. craft — a skill
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. field — farmland
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. craft — boats
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. season — of the year
  24. sharp — clever

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