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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pass — a permit
  12. face — to confront
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stem — to come from
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — an illness
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. face — part of the head
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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