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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bore — to drill
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. field — a subject
  19. bore — to tire
  20. stand — to bear
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. fall — the season

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