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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: cell · stem · field · pound · mouse · wake · nail · race

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cell — a phone
  6. field — for sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. race — humankind
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stem — to come from
  15. race — the arms race
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. race — a contest
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — a subject
  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