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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: press · field · chest · fall · dip · stem · safe · racket

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. chest — of your body
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — to come from
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. press — a publisher
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. field — farmland
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fall — the season
  20. dip — to sink
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. chest — a box
  24. safe — a strongbox

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