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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. field — farmland
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. shower — to wash
  13. field — a subject
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. key — in music
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. key — for a lock
  23. shower — rain
  24. pass — to succeed

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