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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. kick — in football
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. land — ground
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — to come from
  9. land — to come down
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — a country
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. scale — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — an eyelash

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