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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cue — for pool
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cue — a signal
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. can — a tin
  10. cue — a hint
  11. field — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lean — thin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — a position

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