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

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. face — part of the head
  9. present — there
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. face — to confront
  13. wake — a trail
  14. present — a gift
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. squash — to crush
  17. present — the time now
  18. squash — the sport

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