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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — tied together
  4. field — for sport
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. shower — rain
  8. march — the month
  9. field — a subject
  10. court — of law
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stand — to bear
  14. court — for sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. court — of a king
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bound — certain
  24. stem — to come from

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