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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: rash · spring · wound · stem · stand · cabinet · stick · field

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — a subject
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. field — for sport
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — of water
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — a coil
  20. field — farmland
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stand — for spectators

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