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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: rock · bay · stick · field · cold · spell · branch · stem

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. field — a subject
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. field — for sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. spell — magic
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spell — letters
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. branch — a division
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. field — farmland

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