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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — farmland
  3. fall — to drop
  4. branch — a division
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. board — to get on
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. field — a subject
  18. pound — a weight
  19. field — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. row — a line
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. board — a committee
  24. pound — to hit hard

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