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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — farmland
  15. ground — a position
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. field — for sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — a subject
  23. pop — to visit
  24. band — a ring

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