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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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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: race · cabinet · wax · stick · saw · stem · wound · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. race — humankind
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stem — to come from
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — for sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. race — a contest
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — a subject
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cabinet — ministers

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