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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. fall — the season
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — a subject
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — to come from
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — farmland
  11. last — finally
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. last — to go on
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — for sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. last — final
  23. tube — a container
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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