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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — to confront
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ground — a position
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. season — in sport
  21. pop — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — soda
  24. ball — a great time

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