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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 120 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: rule · degree · field · pit · stem · arm · charge · spell

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. spell — a short time
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. pit — a hole
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pit — in a race
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — magic
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stem — to come from
  14. charge — a price
  15. degree — temperature
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. degree — from a university
  19. spell — letters
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. charge — in control
  24. field — for sport

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