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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cold — not warm
  13. root — of a word
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — to be able to
  17. root — the cause
  18. fall — the season
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. can — a tin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — to hurry

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