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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mouse · field · branch · wound · stem · face · season · race

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. race — a contest
  5. face — to confront
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. wound — an injury
  9. race — the arms race
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — farmland
  13. race — humankind
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. field — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — an injury

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