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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rock — music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. field — for sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. track — a song
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. field — a subject
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — farmland
  15. stem — to come from
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rock — a stone
  18. perch — the fish
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — shares

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