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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 · wake · bear · field · file · hide · mate · court

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. field — farmland
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wake — a trail
  11. file — a line of people
  12. field — a subject
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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