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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — in cards
  7. field — farmland
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mug — a face
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mug — to rob
  19. stem — to come from
  20. field — for sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. hand — help
  23. snap — to click
  24. hand — part of the body

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