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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. field — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — music
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. lean — thin
  20. last — finally
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. march — the month

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