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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. field — farmland
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — tied together
  9. plane — a tool
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bound — certain
  12. staff — employees
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — a subject
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — an aircraft

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