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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. bound — certain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. field — a subject
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spring — of water
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. charge — a price
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. tube — a container
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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