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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: patient · field · stem · fall · tube · tear · vault · cap

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stem — to come from
  3. fall — to drop
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. fall — to drop
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. vault — a safe
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cap — a hat
  19. tube — a container
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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