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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. field — a subject
  15. fall — the season
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. field — farmland
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lean — thin
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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