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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stem — to come from
  4. club — for golf
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. season — in sport
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — a tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. season — of the year
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — for sport
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — a measure
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — a subject
  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