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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — a subject
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. suit — to fit
  8. branch — a division
  9. field — farmland
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — clothes
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. board — a committee
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — for spectators

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