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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · stem · lean · cue · foot · field · saw · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. cue — a signal
  5. saw — the tool
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stem — to come from
  10. field — farmland
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lean — thin
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — a hint
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — a subject

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