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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 120 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bound — certain
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — an injury
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mate — to breed
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stem — to come from
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mate — a friend

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