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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 · mine · field · last · season · board · key · stand

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. last — finally
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. field — farmland
  4. season — in sport
  5. key — in music
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stand — to bear
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — a subject
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — a committee
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. key — the most important part
  17. last — to go on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. last — final
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  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