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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. march — the month
  3. club — a group
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. club — for dancing
  6. clip — a video
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rock — music
  10. march — the month
  11. press — to push
  12. club — for golf
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. clip — to cut
  16. march — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. clip — for paper

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