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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — steady
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. firm — a company
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — farmland
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — a subject
  20. stock — goods
  21. firm — decided
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. prune — the fruit

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