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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: bound · file · kick · field · stand · rock · stem · date

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. field — farmland
  3. bound — certain
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rock — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — obliged
  14. date — the fruit
  15. kick — in football
  16. field — a subject
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stem — to come from
  19. field — for sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stem — a stem cell

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