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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: field · spring · press · rush · cell · deal · stem · ground

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. press — to push
  4. rush — hurry
  5. spring — the season
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ground — a position
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ground — crushed
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stem — to come from
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. field — farmland
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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