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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. spring — of water
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. track — a song
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. face — to confront
  11. track — to keep track
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — a path
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. spring — the season
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rash — hasty

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