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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. game — wild animals
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — to confront
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bass — the fish
  10. can — to be able to
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. face — part of the head
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bass — low music
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. coach — a trainer

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