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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. present — a gift
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fall — to drop
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. present — the time now
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — there
  20. stem — to come from
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — a jug

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