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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 120 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: saw · cell · mouse · mug · drill · stem · field · sharp

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mug — to rob
  14. saw — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — the tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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