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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. current — happening now
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — for sport
  9. press — to push
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — of water
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rash — a series
  17. press — newspapers
  18. current — electric
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cell — in biology
  21. press — a publisher
  22. field — a subject
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stem — to come from

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