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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. sharp — clever
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. squash — to crush
  11. present — the time now
  12. field — farmland
  13. season — in sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hand — in cards
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. stem — to come from

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