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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — a song
  5. stem — to come from
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. field — for sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — a phone
  12. suit — clothes
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. suit — to fit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — from a university
  19. field — a subject
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cell — in biology
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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