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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stem — to come from
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cold — an illness
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. firm — steady
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. firm — a company
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — not warm
  23. firm — decided
  24. stem — a stem cell

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