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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — to keep track
  4. degree — from a university
  5. field — for sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — farmland
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. toast — bread
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. degree — an amount
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. degree — temperature
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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