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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — for sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ground — a position
  8. suit — in cards
  9. toast — bread
  10. march — music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — to fit
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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