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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 116 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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. charge — a price
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fall — the season
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. field — for sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. charge — in control
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cold — an illness
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — electricity
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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