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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. track — a song
  5. bore — to drill
  6. field — farmland
  7. fall — the season
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. net — in sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — a path
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bore — to tire
  21. net — for catching
  22. track — to keep track
  23. net — after costs
  24. field — for sport

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