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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. charge — electricity
  4. field — farmland
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stem — to come from
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. charge — in control
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. band — a music group
  18. charge — a price
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. fine — high quality
  22. field — a subject
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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