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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cabinet · fine · stem · pitcher · wind · kick · field · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a cake
  4. field — for sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. roll — a list
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. field — farmland
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — a subject
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fine — all right
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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