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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: foot · field · chair · object · stem · wind · cabinet · snap

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. foot — a measure
  10. field — for sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. object — a thing
  16. field — a subject
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. object — to protest
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. object — an aim
  24. field — farmland

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