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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — in sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — shares
  9. fine — all right
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. court — for sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. field — for sport
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of law
  20. field — a subject
  21. stock — goods
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stock — a soup base

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