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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: swing · stem · net · field · mate · present · spell · dip

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. field — a subject
  9. net — after costs
  10. present — there
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. field — farmland
  15. spell — magic
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. swing — to play on
  18. net — in sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — in golf

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