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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. field — farmland
  2. stem — to come from
  3. firm — steady
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. firm — decided
  8. field — for sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. firm — a company
  23. drill — army training
  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