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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fall — the season
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — a song
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fork — in a road
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. track — a path
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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