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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fall — the season
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — a series

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