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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 120 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. march — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. face — part of the head
  5. firm — steady
  6. face — to confront
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bank — for money
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bank — for money
  14. drill — army training
  15. firm — decided
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — of a river
  19. firm — a company
  20. march — the month
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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