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

Word bank: leaves · ground · pit · fall · wake · stem · net · cold

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wake — a trail
  3. net — for catching
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. ground — crushed
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. ground — a position
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fall — the season
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — to come from
  24. leaves — to go away

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