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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — there
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. present — a gift
  6. field — for sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — a subject
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rash — hasty
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — the season
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rash — a series
  22. fall — to drop
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. present — the time now

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