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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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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: stem · pop · ground · row · field · wake · club · ball

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pop — to visit
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. field — for sport
  6. ball — a dance
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — to paddle
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — soda
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ground — crushed
  19. club — a group
  20. pop — music
  21. row — a line
  22. ground — a position
  23. ball — a great time
  24. field — a subject

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