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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: board · roll · field · stick · kick · stem · chest · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. fall — the season
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fall — to drop
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. kick — in football
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. field — farmland
  19. board — a committee
  20. roll — a list
  21. stem — to come from
  22. board — to get on
  23. kick — with a leg
  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