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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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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: capital · foot · pit · hand · wave · stem · field · ground

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ground — a position
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ground — crushed
  7. field — farmland
  8. capital — a city
  9. pit — in a race
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. capital — money
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. hand — help
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stem — to come from

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