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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mug — a cup
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — a face
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mug — to rob
  9. date — the fruit
  10. face — part of the head
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. face — to confront
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ground — crushed
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. file — a tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a document
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ground — the earth

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