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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. field — a subject
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stock — shares
  7. rest — a break
  8. field — farmland
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — goods
  17. content — the amount
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. content — happy
  21. stem — to come from
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. leaves — of a tree

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