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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · rest · pass · stem · fall · hide

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fall — the season
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — a permit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pass — to spend time

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