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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: date · suit · fan · arm · stem · straw · field · wound

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. field — a subject
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — to come from
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. field — for sport
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — farmland
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. suit — in cards

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