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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: fall · stem · present · wake · bear · bass · drill · field

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. present — there
  13. field — farmland
  14. drill — army training
  15. present — a gift
  16. bass — low music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. present — the time now

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