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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — the season
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wind — moving air
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — music
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — to visit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. face — to point toward
  24. row — a line

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