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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — for sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. fall — to drop
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a line of people
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — a division
  18. file — a document
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. file — a tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mug — a face
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. jam — a tight spot

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