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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wind — moving air
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cap — of ice
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — for sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pass — to spend time

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