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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. spell — a short time
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tube — the underground
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. spell — letters
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — a container
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — for sport
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. arm — a part of something

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