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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. face — to point toward
  4. band — a ring
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. face — to confront
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a music group
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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