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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: sharp · deal · wind · field · stand · stem · mark · perch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. field — farmland
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. field — for sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mark — a grade

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