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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. 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. stem — a stem cell
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. net — for catching
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — the season
  12. net — in sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. net — after costs
  15. stem — to come from
  16. track — a path
  17. fall — to drop
  18. 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