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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — happy
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. deal — to handle
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. deal — an agreement

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