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

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — thin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. root — the cause
  17. rash — a series
  18. root — of a plant
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. root — of a word

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