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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. field — farmland
  3. rest — a break
  4. clip — for paper
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — a video
  8. capital — money
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. clip — to cut
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. field — a subject
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stem — to come from
  21. swing — in golf
  22. plane — a tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. calf — a young 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