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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stem — to come from
  12. present — a gift
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mark — a grade
  22. present — the time now
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bear — the animal

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