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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. branch — a division
  7. fall — the season
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pop — soda
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cap — a lid
  13. field — farmland
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — music
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — a subject
  22. fall — to drop
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cap — a hat

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