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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a music group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. face — part of the head
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. trunk — of a car

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