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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. field — a subject
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wake — a trail
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fine — all right
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. field — for sport
  24. can — a tin

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