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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. field — a subject
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — farmland
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to drill

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