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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. net — after costs
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — farmland
  12. net — in sport
  13. field — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. fall — the season
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — for catching
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — a subject

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