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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 124 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kick — in football
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wake — a trail
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bass — low music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. field — for sport

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