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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. can — a tin
  6. mark — a grade
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. net — for catching
  10. can — a tin
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mark — a trace
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. net — in sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — after costs
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rest — a break

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