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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · racket · rest · land · toast · row · stem · swing

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. rest — what's left
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — a country
  7. toast — bread
  8. field — a subject
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — to play on
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. swing — in golf
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. swing — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rest — a break
  21. land — ground
  22. rest — what's left
  23. row — a line
  24. stem — to come from

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