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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spell — magic
  4. staff — employees
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fall — to drop
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. field — for sport
  9. spell — letters
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — a subject
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fall — the season
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. staff — a stick

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