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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: fan · bulb · mate · stem · march · lie · present · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — to come from
  4. march — music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. present — there
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. march — the month
  13. field — for sport
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — farmland
  16. present — a gift
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mate — a partner
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — for light
  24. present — the time now

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