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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. spring — the season
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. field — farmland
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. ground — a position
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — for sport

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