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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mark — a trace
  9. suit — clothes
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kid — child
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — to grow
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fan — a supporter

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