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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 · bay · field · rest · fan · cold · object · plane

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cold — an illness
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. object — to protest
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — a subject
  21. object — a thing
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. object — an aim

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