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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: face · field · stem · stick · content · cold · calf · bass

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stem — to come from
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — for sport
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cold — an illness
  13. content — the amount
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. field — a subject
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bass — low music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. field — farmland

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