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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. tear — from crying
  9. field — for sport
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. field — farmland
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — a subject
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stock — goods
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. race — humankind
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — a stem cell

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