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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bank — for money
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bank — of a river
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — to come from

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