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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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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: safe · field · racket · hand · stem · kid · bay · pound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — farmland
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — for sport
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pound — a weight
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. kid — child
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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