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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. wake — a trail
  4. court — of a king
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. ball — a dance
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ball — a great time
  11. court — of law
  12. field — a subject
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stem — to come from
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. fall — the season
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — for sport
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fall — to drop
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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