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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. drill — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a ring
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — to confront
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. drill — a practice
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. band — a music group
  18. face — to point toward
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. drill — army training
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bowl — a football final

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