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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stem — to come from
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. row — a line
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bear — the animal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. key — in music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — for sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bear — the animal

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