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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. field — for sport
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. field — farmland
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. tear — to rip

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