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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: land · sharp · stem · field · hide · straw · rash · pit

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. land — a country
  6. field — for sport
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — a subject
  15. land — ground
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — a series
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. field — farmland
  20. land — to come down
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hide — to keep secret

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