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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cue — for pool
  10. suit — in cards
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kick — in football
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — a signal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. suit — clothes

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