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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 · stem · game · kick · fine · firm · tube · lie

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fine — all right
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lie — to recline
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — steady
  10. field — a subject
  11. firm — a company
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. game — a match
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fine — high quality
  18. field — farmland
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. field — for sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — a kind of play

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