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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: stem · field · tear · stand · fine · rest · scale · present

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — the time now
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fine — high quality
  6. present — there
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rest — a break
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. field — a subject
  13. fine — all right
  14. scale — in music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — farmland
  18. present — a gift
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. field — for sport
  23. tear — from crying
  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