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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. field — farmland
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. field — a subject
  9. can — a tin
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. can — to be able to
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. sharp — clever

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