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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stem — to come from
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lean — thin
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. march — the month
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. lean — to bend
  17. march — music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. face — to confront
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. dip — to sink
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. march — the month
  24. safe — out of danger

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