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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. race — a contest
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fall — the season
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. race — humankind
  20. swing — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fall — to drop

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