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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bay · arm · fan · march · stem · field · cold · mine

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cold — not warm
  5. field — for sport
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. field — farmland
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. march — the month
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. arm — part of the body

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