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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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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: safe · field · ground · press · scale · stem · foot · shower

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ground — a position
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. press — a publisher
  8. ground — crushed
  9. press — to push
  10. shower — rain
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. field — for sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. field — a subject
  20. scale — in music
  21. shower — to wash
  22. scale — size or range
  23. field — farmland
  24. foot — a measure

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