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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — government
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — to come from
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rule — a law
  24. stem — of a plant

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