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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. land — to come down
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. land — ground
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stem — to come from
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. field — a subject
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — a country
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. field — farmland

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