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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: stem · pit · lie · cap · land · field · bay · cabinet

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. land — to come down
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pit — a hole
  6. field — a subject
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. land — ground
  10. field — for sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. field — farmland
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — a country

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