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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stem — to come from
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. tube — a container
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. snap — to click
  14. pound — a weight
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bank — for money
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. face — part of the head
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tube — in a tire

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