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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 124 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rule — government
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. charge — a price
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — for sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wound — an injury
  15. field — farmland
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. charge — in control
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rule — a law
  24. wound — an injury

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