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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. land — a country
  12. pass — a permit
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. field — farmland
  16. cell — a phone
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. land — ground
  22. net — for catching
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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