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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — farmland
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. scale — size or range
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. craft — boats
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. current — happening now
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stand — to bear
  24. jam — a tight spot

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