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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. field — farmland
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rule — government
  6. current — of water
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. lie — to recline
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. field — for sport
  14. current — happening now
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — army training
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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