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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rest — a break
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — a subject
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. last — to go on
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — finally
  15. field — for sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stem — to come from
  19. field — farmland
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — final
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stand — to bear
  24. net — in 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