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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. field — for sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. chip — for betting
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. march — the month
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. field — a subject
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. march — music
  14. tube — the underground
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stem — to come from
  19. march — the month
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. file — a document
  24. pitch — completely

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