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

Word bank: lean · date · stick · pass · wake · cold · root · fall

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lean — thin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. root — of a word
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wake — a trail
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pass — a permit
  18. date — the fruit
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lean — to rest against

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