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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — to tease
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. field — a subject
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — for sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. present — there
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cap — a lid
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — of ice

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