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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fall — the season
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stem — a stem cell

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