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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: file · race · field · plane · net · stem · object · game

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. file — a line of people
  3. field — farmland
  4. object — an aim
  5. race — the arms race
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. race — humankind
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. field — for sport
  13. stem — to come from
  14. game — a match
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. plane — a tool
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. object — to protest
  21. net — in sport
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. game — wild animals
  24. object — a thing

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