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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: rest · fall · stick · craft · spring · stem · cell · field

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rest — a break
  4. fall — the season
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — of water
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — for sport
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. field — a subject
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fall — to drop

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