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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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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: bark · rush · wound · pit · pass · stand · stem · fall

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fall — the season
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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