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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — a subject
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — to bear
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — farmland
  20. wax — to grow
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — an injury
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — for spectators

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