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

Word bank: stem · club · stand · last · season · fan · track · field

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. last — final
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. field — farmland
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. club — for golf
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — finally
  15. field — a subject
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stand — to bear
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. club — for dancing
  23. track — a song
  24. last — to go on

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