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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 116 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: field · wound · fine · club · saw · game · stem · present

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. game — a match
  3. wound — an injury
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for golf
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — there
  10. fine — high quality
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — the time now
  13. field — a subject
  14. saw — the tool
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fine — all right
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. field — farmland
  20. stem — to come from
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. field — for sport
  24. club — a group

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