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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: squash · cue · field · season · land · bark · stem · mine

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — a country
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — farmland
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — to shout
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — the sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. squash — to crush
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — for sport
  24. land — to come down

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