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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. field — a subject
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a line of people
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. file — a document
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — to come from

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