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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. track — a song
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — a path
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. stem — to come from
  24. spring — of water

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