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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spring — the season
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. field — a subject
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bank — for money
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. scale — in music

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