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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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Word bank
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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: toast · tear · scale · cell · field · stem · suit · hand

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. scale — size or range
  7. suit — clothes
  8. cell — in biology
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. field — farmland
  17. toast — bread
  18. hand — help
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. tear — to rip
  23. suit — in cards
  24. hand — in cards

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