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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 116 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stem — to come from
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lean — to bend
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — to confront
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — to cut
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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