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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: last · season · nail · bore · field · kick · stem · cue

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — of the year
  3. stem — to come from
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cue — a signal
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. cue — a hint
  12. season — in sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. last — final
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stem — of a plant

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